1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present application pertains to medical devices. More particularly, the field of the invention pertains to systems and tools for robotic-assisted endolumenal surgery.
2. Description of the Related Art
Endoscopy is a widely-used, minimally invasive technique for both imaging and delivering therapeutics to anatomical locations within the human body. Typically a flexible endoscope is used to deliver tools to an operative site inside the body—e.g., through small incisions or a natural orifice in the body (nasal, anal, vaginal, urinary, throat, etc.)—where a procedure is performed. Endoscopes may have imaging, lighting and steering capabilities at the distal end of a flexible shaft enabling navigation of non-linear lumens or pathways.
To assist with the navigation, the endoscopes often have a means to articulate a small distal bending section. Today's endoscopic devices are typically hand held devices with numerous levers, dials, and buttons for various functionalities, but offer limited performance in terms of articulation. For control, physicians control the position and progress of the endoscope by manipulating the leavers or dials in concert with twisting the shaft of the scope. These techniques require the physician to contort their hands and arms when using the device to deliver the scope to the desired position. The resulting arm motions and positions are awkward for physicians; maintaining those positions can also be physically taxing. Thus, manual actuation of bending sections is often constrained by low actuation force and poor ergonomics.
There are additional challenges with today's endoscopic devices. Today's endoscopes typically require support personnel to both deliver, operate and remove operative, diagnostic or therapeutic devices from the scope while the physician maintains the desired position. Today's endoscopes utilize pull wires that create issues with curve alignment and muscling. Some procedures require fluoroscopy or segmented CT scans to assist in navigating to the desired location, particularly for small lumen navigation.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a system and tools for endolumenal procedures that provide improved ergonomics, usability, and navigation.